French Conversation · Level 18
89 words
French word
près
Pronunciation
IPA/pʁɛ/
Meaning
- adverbnear
Example
La gare est près de la maison.
The station is near the house.
More examples
Nous sommes près de la fin.
We are near the end.
Core concept
A person or thing is within a short reach of another place, object, or event.
Common phrases
à peu près
approximately
tout près de
very close to ___
Similar words
tout près: Very close by, with almost no distance.
bientôt: In the near future, with an event expected soon.
Definition in French
Exprime la proximité ; il désigne généralement une courte distance physique et, dans « être près de » + infinitif, une proximité temporelle proche de « presque ».
Word origin
The French adverb près developed from Latin prope through Old French pres, retaining a core idea of closeness that also applies to imminent events.
Usage tips
- Près de covers a broader area of nearness than à côté de, which more strongly suggests being immediately beside something.
Other meanings
- almostadverb
Opposites
- loinfaradverb